CHILLY CHRISTMAS: Dangerously cold temps this holiday weekend

The National Weather Service and emergency management officials are warning of “dangerously cold” weather ahead of the holiday weekend.

Temperatures are forecast to dip into the single digits Thursday night and remain below freezing until Sunday. The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency warned residents the extended cold could impact the state’s infrastructure knocking out power, causing low water pressure or making boil water notices necessary.

MSEMA urged Mississippians to follow the “four P’s” of cold weather, which calls for protecting people, pets, plants and pipes.

In a city council meeting Tuesday, City of Meridian Freshwater Superintendent Jimmy Eckman said residents are urged to let their faucets drip over the next few days to prevent freezing pipes.

“It makes our job a little harder, but broken pipes are a lot harder,” he said.

Lauderdale County Emergency Management Director Odie Barrett used the county alert system to warn residents Tuesday of the impending cold. The freezing temperatures could cause icy conditions on roads and bridges, he said, and residents are urged to use caution.

Ahead of the storm, Barrett said residents should check their emergency supplies to make sure they include one gallon of water per person per day, three days of non-perishable food, a first aid kit and batteries for flashlights and radios.

Residents can also protect themselves by minimizing travel, staying inside, and insulating pipes ahead of the freezing weather, Barrett said.

LEMA planned to distribute fresh hay to county residents to help insulate outdoor animals that could not be brought indoors, Barrett said. Additionally, plans for a warming shelter were underway.

“We are working with different agencies to provide a warming center,” he said. “We do not have everything finalized at this time, but will keep you notified of any information when we have everything together.”

Those who have not already signed up for the county emergency notification system can register by visiting lemaonline.com. Meridian residents can also subscribe to the city’s CodeRed emergency system by texting “MERIDIANMS” to 99411 or through the link on the city’s website meridianms.org.

Across the country

The frigid weather began hammering the Pacific Northwest Tuesday morning, and is expected to move to the northern Rockies, then grip the Plains in a deep-freeze and blanket the Midwest with heavy snowfall, forecasters say. By Friday, the front is forecast to spread cold as far south as Florida, The Associated Press reported. 

The northern-most regions of the U.S. could see wind chills approaching 70 degrees below zero (minus 57 Celsius) — cold enough to leave exposed skin frostbitten in a matter of minutes.

The heaviest snow is expected in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, according to the National Weather Service, and frigid wind will be fierce across the country’s mid-section.

Nearly 113 million Americans were expected to travel 50 miles or more from home this holiday season, up 4% from last year but still short of the record 119 million in 2019, according to AAA. Most were planning to travel by car; around 6% were planning to fly.

Several inches of snow were expected from Chicago through the Great Lakes region by Friday. Snow also was forecast in the lower Midwest. With the storm approaching, Delta, American, United and Southwest airlines said they were waiving change fees for people traveling through affected airports.

“Please take precautions: Check on elderly/vulnerable, protect pets, shelter livestock, cover exposed skin!” the local branch of the National Weather Service said on Twitter.

In Texas, where the temperature is expected to drop to around 11 degrees (minus 12 Celsius), the state’s power grid will be put to the test once again.

In Jackson, Mississippi, where dangerously cold weather is expected by the weekend, all eyes are on the capital city’s troubled water system. A cold snap in 2021 left tens of thousands of people without running water after pipes froze, and Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba said Monday that the water distribution system remains a “huge vulnerability.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.